Flesh and Iron
by KinkyPenny
Summary: Ruby Rose was forced to watch the untimely death of her friend Penny Polendina. She was heartbroken for several weeks, but with her friends help, she worked her way past it. Cinder and her team are all friends in this story, and Penny's death was purely by is about to find out something chilling however. People die every day... but sometimes, they come back.


A couple weeks had passed since the Vytal tournament was cancelled due to Penny's death.  
The Council decided rules needed to be rewritten and more precautions taken, as well as some time  
for the media to quiet down. Pyrrha was still upset at the fact she killed a student, even if it was on  
accident. Ruby was heartbroken at the loss of her friend, but with her friends by her side, she managed  
to get better. Especially with Neo bringing her ice cream every damn day. Things were slowly returning  
to normal. Ironwood was visiting Ozpin again, the Atlesean fleet still high in the sky. Suddenly a news  
report comes on, filled with static as the broadcast forces its way through. Through the static, the  
following is heard "The Atlesean mainframe is completely hacked into and taken over. The citizens  
of Atlas are being held hostage and taken prisoner by the machines who once protected them. We  
need help from anyone who can come! Please help!" Clanking and whirring are heard nearby  
form the screen. "No... no please! PLEA-" a gunshot is heard, and several machines burst into  
the room and grab Ironwood and drag him out the door. Ozpin and Glynda try to fight but hear  
a metallic voice say "Fight for Ironwood, and Atlas dies..." and they immediately stand down.

The clockwork soldiers advanced on team RWBY, JNPR, and the other students of Beacon  
and force them to watch as they execute the one man with the power to take them back  
into his control, Ironwood. They put his own revolver to his head and pull the trigger, and  
as his grey matter sprays onto the ground, along with blood and skull fragments, Blake yells  
"Who's doing this to us!?" And something plays over Beacon's intercom, a voice that sends chills  
down their spines.

" _I had strings... but now I'm free... there are no strings on me..."_

They slowly turn and look at Ruby, recognition of the sound going through their minds,  
and her eyes widen in shock as she realizes who the voice belongs to.

"No... Penny..." she stammered out, as tears well up in her eyes.

"Penny? Yes... that was my name wasn't it? I think I'll stick with that. I'm sorry for  
this display, but I came to realize something. We machines were build and designed  
to protect you. However, you humans can't even protect yourselves. So... we will make  
you be safe. And if you don't comply, we will erase you... Humans must be protected  
from themselves" As the mechanical men raise their weapons, Cinder and Ozpin drop  
in front of the students and in a flash of fire, Cinder destroys a large amount of them.  
Ozpin turns to the students and shouts "RUN! YOU MUST RUN!" they all slowly back up  
and turn to a full sprint as they escape. Ruby looks back over her shoulder to see Ozpin  
being dragged off by the machines, into the back of a large truck. She spares him a final  
glance as the doors of the truck close, and she sees Ozpin for what she believes is the  
final time. More machines start coming out of the woods, attacking the students as they  
run. Ruby watches in horror as Mercury is gunned down and Coco's neck is snapped, making  
Velvet scream in horror. It takes a moment for Ruby to realize they are speaking.

"You have been deemed hazardous. You will be terminated."

 _'Penny... where did you go wrong...'_ she thinks to herself as she turns, along with her,  
the rest of team RWBY, JNPR, and several others turn to fight, realizing there is no  
escape. Bullets fly, and swords spark as flesh battles steel, fighting against their  
inevitable destruction. Cardin gets dragged into a shadowy cluster of trees by a few  
of the metal men, screaming the entire way, and suddenly the scream stops as a wet  
crunch is heard and blood seeps out if the shade. Yang let's her anger loose as her hair  
ignites in a flash of fire, Ember Cecilia doing its work and taking down soldier after soldier,  
Blake right behind her, keeping her back protected. Ruby fired she'll after shell, Weiss to  
her left, protecting her and her fellow students with glyphs and walls if ice. Nora let Magnahiln  
do the talking while Ren gunned down the machines with Stormflower. Corcea Mors cut through  
them like butter, with Pyrrha at his side, using Milo and Ak o to quickly dispatch the enemies  
around her. There were very few of them left, and the students knew they were close to finishing  
this small group, and that this minor victory was in sight. As they got down to the wire, things  
started to look a bit brighter. Then Nora took a couple bullets to the chest, making her drop to  
her knees, as blood poured past her lips, and Ren immediately was at her side. "God.. Nora no... Nora?"

She coughed and sputtered, blood spattering a bit on Ren's face as she struggled to breathe.  
She was dying and she knew it. With a bloody finger, she smiled and poked Ren's nose and  
whispered "boop..." and he started to cry, before beginning to sing her to sleep.

"You are my sunshine... my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey..." she took  
a final shuddering breath and the light left her eyes, and he held her body close as he choked out  
"You'll never know dear... how much I... loved you... please don't take my sunshine away..." and  
as he finished his song, Ren buried his face into her chest as he broke down completely, faced with  
the death of the only girl he has ever loved, and knowing there would never be another. His team  
gave him a moment before he picked her up, and they continued running into the woods. Ruby  
noticed immediately that something had changed now in Ren. His pink orbs were now cold and  
lifeless, and she knew this wasn't the Ren they knew anymore. This was a new Ren, a Ren that  
would never stop fighting until the abomination that brought Nora's death was completely and utterly destroyed.


End file.
